Are there any magicians here?

[Paul Barker]

I've been asked to perform magic. A social club with a 4" single pipe system not touched for 20 years is now conscerned that one room is cold. They have the amaising idea that if I tweek it here and there I can have it all hunky dorry in a few hours.

If I described the sludge I found as clay can you see my problem?

It's a matter of what sized tanker sentinel will need to deliver the right quantity of acid.

Powerflush? Anyone got a spare 20 hp pump I can borrow?

Perhaps I should speak to Morrisons they should have something.

 

[The_Spanish_Inquisition]

You may borrow a gully sucker from my armoury.

It is one of my chief weapons next to surprise and fear etc etc


++++++++
Hello, Slug.
You don't fool me.

Mod Rupert
++++++++

 

[doitall]

Drain half the water out, making sure the pump has plenty.

Turn boiler off and start pump, the turbulance will stir the crud, then just empty and refill a few times.

Woulod I be right in thinking there are no radiators

 

[Nige F]

You may borrow a gully sucker from my armoury.

It is one of my chief weapons next to surprise and fear etc etc

Well, I didn`t expect you maybe no-one did

 

[Paul Barker]

There are a load of columb radiators behind the seats along the sides of the big rooms. There are shelves with grills in at the back of the seats but to remove the built in seats and access the rad valves would involve joinery, they weren't fitted in such a way as to allow for maintenance. (A familiar story in this town)

The cold feed is more than likely blocked and the only drain off is the standard 1/2" one at the bottom of the cast iron Ideal Concord. Which naturally is in a boiler room below ground level and no drains in boiler room.

I'll probably drain from a few rads at once and put a sump and pump to drain off the rest from the boiler room. Change the galvy tank for plastic, clean the cold feed, try and get the thing to circulate with a bucket of ferroquest. Refill, crack nuts in top connections to column rads and hope to get something started.

Or I'll procrastinate long enough for some other sucker to jump in instead.

 

[doitall]

You don't need to access the radiator valves.

All you need is the air vents and a good hose pipe.

What size is the cold feed and does it connect direct to the boiler.

Don't crack the nuts or perhaps I should say why crack the nuts, what will it achieve.

What type is the draincock, a quarter turn plugcock or the normal cheapy with a washer. would normally expect to see an 3/4" one at least.

 

[Softus]

Or I'll procrastinate long enough for some other sucker to jump in instead.

This is by far your best way foward.

I think Fernox do a Procrastinator gel that you can inject with a skeleton gun.

 

[doitall]

Or I'll procrastinate long enough for some other sucker to jump in instead.

This is by far your best way foward.

I think Fernox do a Procrastinator gel that you can inject with a skeleton gun.

For a change I agree, leave it to the experts.

I would also be very reluctant to stick any chemicals in a 50 year old + system, first thing to go will be the boiler sections.

 

[Paul Barker]

What size is the cold feed and does it connect direct to the boiler.

22mm goes into the 4" return just before the pump which is also on the return, but after the zone valves which are on the return. They split the system to two halfes of the building seem to be motorised but if I remove power to them they don't shut, they are open. I wanted to shut the one on the good half so as to force the bad half to work but couldn't budge it.

What type is the draincock, a quarter turn plugcock or the normal cheapy with a washer. would normally expect to see an 3/4" one at least.

Yes it is probably 3/4" of the same type as we use in domestic situations, so the jumper is certain to be stuck.

 

[doitall]

Original MVs would be power open and power shut, not spring return, look for a room stat that shuts it down.

You may even find a compensator.

 

[Agile]

As suggested you dont HAVE to do it!

You should protect yourself by explaining that the system will need to be completely drained and checmically treated and give a budgetary cost of an appropriate amount so that they will have to get their committee approval.

You can calculate the volume of system water and use appropriate treatment chemicals.

Alternately use the bit by bit approach if you are going to use citric acid.

Another way is to quote to drain and for disassembling the faulty rad pipes and valves to manually sort out the problem.

Tony

PS please see my posting in General Discussion about injections.

 

[doitall]

Em Tony you don't disassemble gert big steel pipes unless you have a serious problem.

For a start off the pipe will probably crush the minute you go anywhere near them with a pair of stillsons, plenty of heat is a most to stand any chance.

As Softus kindly pointed out, leave it to the industrial experts, at least they have the right kit and know what to expect.

Perhaps better still sub it out and play looking over the shoulder good education for next time.

 

[Agile]

I only said disassemble the faulty rad pipe NOT the 4" one pipe which is clearly still circulating as the other rads are OK.

The rad will probably be in 3/4" or at the worst 1" which Paul will be able to manage to tap and replace if anything really bad went wrong.

I could always send him a pair of EL34s !

Tony

 

[Softus]

As Softus kindly pointed out, leave it to the industrial experts, at least they have the right kit and know what to expect.

Er, I can't take any credit for that; it was your own eminently sensible suggestion.

 

[Paul Barker]

I have a man that worked with this stuff down in London on the West End theatres, but he wasn't the brains of the operation.

Anyhow although he is very confident to do the job I am not. I think I'll pass, there is far too much work of the type I have experience of, and it's not direction of growth I intend to persue.

Expansion of my business (which is the only way to survive the huge overheads imposed on us) shall hopefully take the form of inspection and testing as that market develops.

Otherwise you'll probably find me answering the phone at Ideal over in Hull or something, cause the small generic plumbing business is not a going conscern.